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Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Camille and Carrie are hosting a Parade of Quilts! Here is my first quilt: Sorry, it's not the best picture, but hopefully you can get a sense of the wonderful polyester double knit goodness that is this quilt. My grandma helped me make this quilt when I was 13. Now, this wasn't what I had in mind when she asked me if I'd like to make a quilt with her. I don't know exactly what I had in mind, but it wasn't double knit polyester. And I have to confess my heart sank a little when Grandma brought out the neat stacks of already cut poly squares. But I went ahead with it, and it turned out ok. The main skills I learned from Grandma while making this quilt were chain piecing, and how to piece batting, when we made this quilt. We put it up on quilt frames in her living room and she helped me tie it. (When I was growing up that's how I thought all quilts were finished--tied with acrylic yarn.)

After it was off the frames, I wasn't in love with the quilt, and I just put it away with unfinished edges, for a long time. My grandma passed away about 5 years after we made this quilt, and soon after her death I got the quilt out and finished up the edges by just folding them in and zigzagging close to the edge. I like the quilt a lot, because of the memories of my sweet Grandma that it holds. I call it my "ugly quilt" and I tell everyone about it, and about my grandma. I still use it on my bed every winter.

I think our first quilt is always our most treasured one, especially when they hold such precious memories. Now that you're a more experienced quilter, you probably realize how challenging it was for you to use double knit polyester for your first quilting project.

How cute! I did one similar with my grandma when I was about 13. We made mine out of gingham in about 7 different colors. And we used the quilt frames to tie it all up. Great memories! And your latest is very cute! Great idea for Mom's Day!

I love both of them! The first one is beautiful - great colors and design. I have an "ugly" quilt too, LOL! The hand print quilt is darling. What a great idea to do the hand prints in embroidery. Colors are great too.

That is wonderful, my grandmother is a quilter, though she's not quilted in awhile. I made a tie quilt with my Mom as a teenager ( I got to pick the fabric), but it feel apart years later, I wonder if I have any pictures of it, I loved it! I've not made another quilt on my own, but am wanting to give it a try.